Top Items:
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Webb won't seek reelection — Virginia Democratic Senator Jim Webb plans to announce today that he won't seek reelection, the Senator confirmed Wednesday. — Webb appeared likely to face a rematch with former Senator George Allen, whom he beat in a bruising 2006 contest.
Discussion:
CNN, Raw Story, AmSpecBlog, The Washington Note, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Pajamas Media, Politics, JOSHUAPUNDIT and National Review
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Ben Pershing / Virginia Politics Blog:
Sen. James Webb won't run for reelection in 2012 — Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) has announced that he will not run for reelection in 2012. — Webb's decision, long anticipated by many in Virginia politics, will make his seat more difficult to hold for his party.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Wonkette, The Page, AMERICAblog News and Gawker
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Jim Webb's retirement (and what it means) — Virginia Sen. Jim Webb's decision not to seek re-election creates an open seat in traditionally Republican territory that could further tilt the map in the GOP's favor as they aim to win back the Senate in 2012. — Webb's announcement …
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay
Christopher Weber / Politics Daily:
Sen. Jim Webb Won't Seek Reelection, Spurring GOP Hopes for 2012 Pickup
Sen. Jim Webb Won't Seek Reelection, Spurring GOP Hopes for 2012 Pickup
Discussion:
AOL News
Washington Post:
Patriot Act extension fails in the House by seven votes — House Republicans suffered an embarrassing setback Tuesday when they fell seven votes short of extending provisions of the Patriot Act, a vote that served as the first small uprising of the party's tea-party bloc.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Politics Daily, National Review, Bloomberg, Daily Kos, The Foundry, Prairie Weather, Sky Dancing and Tammy Bruce
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The Tea Party and civil liberties — It's long been clear that the best (and perhaps only) political hope for civil liberties in the U.S. is an alliance that transcends the standard Democrat v. GOP or left v. right dichotomies. Last night's surprising (and temporary) failure of the House …
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, Firedoglake, Open Congress and ThinkProgress
Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
House rejects measure that would extend key Patriot Act provisions through December
House rejects measure that would extend key Patriot Act provisions through December
Russell Berman / The Hill:
After defeat on Patriot Act, Boehner says GOP ‘not perfect every day’
After defeat on Patriot Act, Boehner says GOP ‘not perfect every day’
Discussion:
The Politico
Adam Serwer / The Plum Line:
Newsflash: Tea Party didn't kill Patriot Act
Newsflash: Tea Party didn't kill Patriot Act
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Weigel and Examiner
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Arianna Huffington's ideological transformation — Did Arianna Huffington just sell out her fellow progressives? — In the literal sense, she undoubtedly has: The sale of Huffington Post to AOL for $315 million (including a large pile of cash going to Huffington herself) …
Discussion:
The Other McCain, Pajamas Media, The New Republic, Mediaite, Online NewsHour and Hot Air
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Tim Rutten / Los Angeles Times:
AOL ♥ HuffPo. The loser? Journalism — To grasp the Huffington Post's business model, picture a galley rowed by slaves and commanded by pirates. — Whatever the ultimate impact of AOL's $315-million acquisition of the Huffington Post on the new-media landscape …
Discussion:
Hot Air, protein wisdom and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Simmi Aujla / The Politico:
West: AOL-HuffPo merger threatens tea party groups
West: AOL-HuffPo merger threatens tea party groups
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, Weigel and Washington Monthly
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Obama's Approval Rating on Deficit Sinks to New Low — Egypt ranks among issues on which Obama is best rated — PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama's approval rating for handling the federal budget deficit has gone from bad to worse in recent months, even as his ratings …
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Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Just as things looked brighter for Obama, Americans' approval …
Just as things looked brighter for Obama, Americans' approval …
Discussion:
Gallup
Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
Labor — Surveying the GOP's latest efforts to usher forth a particular species of fiscal responsibility, I was recalled to a bit of personal history, which I try to not to think about. Like a lot of couples, the notice that our family would increase by a half was greeted with great joy.
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Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:
Under Banner of Fiscal Restraint, Republicans Plan New Abortion Bills — WASHINGTON — All but invisible during the midterm elections, the abortion debate has returned to Congress. — Invoking the mantra of fiscal restraint that has dominated House action since lawmakers reconvened last month …
Nicholas Ballasy / CNSNews:
Lautenberg to Pro-Life Republicans: 'Don't Go Near My Daughters'
Lautenberg to Pro-Life Republicans: 'Don't Go Near My Daughters'
Discussion:
JOSHUAPUNDIT, National Review, The Mahablog and Liberty Pundits Blog
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Democrats: Justice Thomas should recuse himself in healthcare reform case — A group of 73 House Democrats on Wednesday demanded U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recuse himself from any case examining the constitutionality of healthcare reform. — Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) …
Discussion:
The Politico, The Note, Washington Post and The Fix
Charles Thomas / WLS-TV:
ABC7 poll: Emanuel leading mayor's race — ABC7's exclusive poll on the Chicago mayor's race provides a snapshot of how the candidates are doing as we head into the final two weeks of the campaign. — Rahm Emanuel's 54 percent share in the survey suggests an overwhelming lead …
Discussion:
The Hill
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Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Rahm Emanuel captures enormous polling lead
Rahm Emanuel captures enormous polling lead
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Outside the Beltway
Christian M. Wade / TBO Politics:
RNC's former Tampa convention team spent $1 million — TAMPA - They rented an exclusive waterfront mansion, wined and dined at five-star restaurants and hired family members and friends, all on the taxpayers' dime. — Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's 2012 convention team based …
Discussion:
Mother Jones and National Review
John Vidal / Guardian:
Saudi oil reserves ‘overstated by 40%’ — US diplomat convinced by Saudi expert that reserves of world's biggest oil exporter have been overstated by nearly 40% — • Peak oil alarm revealed by secret official talks — • Datablog: Are we running out of oil?
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Ecocentric, The Daily Dish, Raw Story, Scared Monkeys, Israel Matzav, Weasel Zippers, Philly.com, The Nation and AMERICAblog News
Barry Eichengreen / Project Syndicate:
Why Egypt Should Worry China — print recommend Send link clip secure rights — BERKELEY - A strictly economic interpretation of events in Tunisia and Egypt would be too simplistic - however tempting such an exercise is for an economist. That said, there is no question …
Discussion:
China Digital Times, NPR Blogs and Real Time Economics
Suzi Parker / Politics Daily:
Breaking the Sarah Palin Trademark Story: A Lesson in Journalism Ethics … Sometimes a light bulb goes off. — One night at 2 a.m. I was reading a story by Matt Lewis about Herman Cain, a possible 2012 presidential candidate from Georgia. Pursuing the Cain story further …
Discussion:
Firedoglake and Poynter
Marin Cogan / The Politico:
Insurance reality hits House GOP — Ask any House Republican about repealing President Barack Obama's health care law, and you'll get the same fiery, self-assured talking points about tearing down what Speaker John Boehner has called a “monstrosity.” — But talk to some of the 16 freshman lawmakers …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Hill, The New Republic, Weasel Zippers and msnbc.com
Mark Bittman / Opinionator:
Is ‘Eat Real Food’ Unthinkable? — In recent weeks we've seen a big, powerful government agency, a big, powerful person and a big, powerful corporation telling us what to eat. Even with all this big, powerful input, we know nothing that we didn't know last year.
Discussion:
Yglesias, Wonkette, New York Times, Connecting.the.Dots, Daily Kos and nancynall.com
Wall Street Journal:
Apple's New iPad in Production — Apple Inc. has started manufacturing a new version of its iPad tablet computer with a built-in camera and faster processor, said people familiar with the matter. — The new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the first model, these people said.
Discussion:
Mashable!, AOL News, Engadget, GigaOM, L.A. Times Tech Blog and CrunchGear, more at Techmeme »
James Fallows / The Atlantic Online:
1968-1975: How ‘X-Rated’ Became Synonymous With ‘Porn’ — Where moviemaking is concerned, the word, “adult” has fallen on rather hard times, having become code for works that are sexually garish, possibly exploitative, and amateurish in execution. But it wasn't always that way.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
At CPAC, the race for second place as Paul goes all out — The Conservative Political Action Conference's annual straw poll typically indicates three things: Whom CPAC's segment of the conservative base prefers for president; who bought tickets for their supporters; and whether Ron Paul is really trying.
Discussion:
Wonkette
Torey Van Oot / Capitol Alert:
Republicans Mintz, Webb, weighing bids for Harman's seat — Two more Republicans could soon jump in the race to succeed resigning Democratic Rep. Jane Harman in the 36th Congressional District. — Redondo Beach City Attorney Mike Webb said yesterday he is “strongly considering” running for the seat.
Discussion:
Ballot Box